Shuttle boxes for looms



Nov. 21, 1961 T. P. BOSTIC SHUTTLE BOXES FOR LOOMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 29, 1958 N l liwi 1! o HM HMHJNMWI H I I I I H H IIM'M Mum. M W I Nov. 21, 1961 T. P. BOSTIC SHUTTLE BOXES FOR LOOMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 29, 1958 A M\\l/ Q A W. R A

127194922502 T BBosft'a, fli'oflney United States Patent 3,009,487 SHUTTLE BOXES FOR LOOMS Tampico P. Bostic, Gaflney, S.C., assignor to H. F. Livermore Corporation, Boston, Mass, a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 29, 1958, Ser. No. 770,326 3 Claims. (Cl. 139-185) This invention relates in general to looms, and in particular to the shuttle boxes thereof which receive the shuttle alternately at each end of the shuttles flight and bring it to rest in position for its return flight or pick, the shuttle being thrown from the box by the stroke of the pickerstick under guidance of the interior walls of the box so as to travel along the lay in a course closely parallel with the reed mounted on the lay.

Conventionally, the shuttle is brought to rest by the combined action of the pickerstick and the binder, the latter being a member usually formed of wood faced with leather, pivoted at its outward end and swinging through a slot in the shuttle box back wall to bear frictionally against the rear wall of the shuttle and thus act as a brake to check the latters flight. This binder has a second function of working the protector mechanism which stops the loom if the shuttle fails to complete its flight across the loom or rebounds from the shuttle box into the shed. For this purpose, the free end of the binder confronts the protector finger fixed on the protector rockshaft carried by the lay, so that each time the shuttle enters either box the rearward displacement of the binder by the entering shuttle causes it to push the protector finger rearward and thus rock the rockshaft to lift the dagger clear of the frog on the loom frame and connected to the loom stopping mechanism. As is well known, if the protector finger is not thus moved at the proper point in the loom cycle, the loom is instantly stopped by the engagement of the dagger with the frog.

Incomplete control of the shuttle in the sense of bringing it to rest smoothly and accurately in the same position each time at the end of its flight has been one of the main factors limiting the speed at which the loom can be run. The conventional binder has to have a swell or cam surface formed on its frontward shuttle-engaging face, accurately positioned and shaped to throw the binder far enough rearward, (i.e., away from the breast beam,) of the box when struck by the shuttle to cause the binder to move the protector finger the necessary distance to prevent the loom from being stopped. The inward end of the binder, that nearer the cloth, has to be located far enough outwardly from the mouth of the shuttle box, i.e., away from the cloth, to leave a liberal guide surface on the box back at the shuttle box mouth, in order to start the shuttle straight in its flight. With the binders length thus limited, the cam surface on the binder has to be abrupt, to work in the time available.

When the shuttle strikes the swell, the binder is accordingly cammed suddenly rearward; the binder spring and protector rockshaft spring cannot be made stiff enough, without choking the shuttle and preventing its full entry into the box, to prevent the binder from being thrown clear away from the shuttle momentarily, with consequent loss of its checking friction during this period. Then when the binder slaps back against the moving shuttle, it rebounds, again rebounding to a diminished extent when it makes its third contact with the entering shuttle.

Thus, instead of the shuttle being checked continuously and to a uniform extent each time, the checking action of the usual binder is spasmodic and variable, and these irregularities are greatly magnified at higher loom speeds with consequent higher shuttle speeds, often resulting in improper boxing of the shuttle through its rebound- "ice ing from the picker or from not getting fully home. In either case, a weak pick results, with likelihood of trouble in the form of stoppage of the loom by the protector mechanism, or, much more serious, breakage of the warps through trapping of the shuttle in the shed. Other complications, such as sloughing of the filling from the bobbin nose, are familiar results of erratic control.

Adjustment of the other shuttle-checking agency, the pickerstick, in the effort to control the shuttle at higher loom speeds, through manipulation of the friction devices working on the pickerstick check strap, has been found objectionable because of the rapid wear thus imposed on the check strap, and more so because of the difficulty entailed in getting the loom to run right after it has been stopped long enough for atmospheric moisture to enter the leather as it cooled down, thus changing the frictional characteristics of the strap.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a device adapted to be easily installed on existing looms, as well as on new ones, in replacement of the conventional binder and back wall, capable of attaining improved shuttle control enabling the loom speed to be materially increased while avoiding the drawbacks described.

To these ends, the invention comprises a binder having a straight shuttle-engaging face devoid of the swell and pivoted at its inward end so that the impact of the shuttle has greatly reduced power to throw the binder rearwardly out of contact with the shuttle. The binder acts upon the protector finger, and likewise the protector finger resists the displacement of the binder, through compound leverage transmitted from the binder to a lever whose free end in turn engages the protector finger, with provision for adjustably varying such leverage to match the speed at which the loom is to be run, and thus to adjust the checking action on the shuttle to the need imposed by the size, weight, and velocity of the shuttle at the particular speed of operation of the loom.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a plan view of the left-hand end of the lay of a loom showing a shuttle-box constructed with the novel features of the present invention, with the box back extension broken away.

FIG. 2 is a similar view, with a shuttle in the box.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation of the parts shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the novel binder elements alone, shown in their normal idle relation.

FIG. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

The device of the invention is illustrated in a form adapted to be applied to either or both ends of the lay of a standard Draper automatic loom, in replacement of the original shuttle box parts, though the novel structure is of course capable of being employed in other looms, and in building new loorns of this and other makes. Only so much of the parts of the lay end are shown as is necessary for an understanding of the invention, the lay 1 having the customary shuttle-box bottom plate 3 aflixed thereon in usual manner, with the picker 5 mounted on the pickerstick 7 working in the slot 9. The protector finger 11 on the arm of the protector rockshaft (not shown) works in usual manner to control the dagger (not shown) of the protector mechanism, allowing engagement of the dagger with the frog (not shown) on the loom side to stop the loom when the shuttle fails to assume its proper positon in the box at either end of the loom.

In accordance with the invention, the original shuttlebox back wall is replaced by a special short back wall 14, with integral shuttle guard 16, bolted via the holes 18 to the lay sword (not shown) as usual. On this is mounted at the shuttle-box mouth a binder member or arm 15 which I term the shuttle brake, having a bushed hub 17 ea pivotally mounted on an eccentric stud 19 having a flanged upper end 21 fixed to a lug 23 on the rear face of back wall 14 by a cap screw 25 and intervening washer. The hub 17 is maintained on stud 19 by the box bottom 3.

The shuttle brake 15 is essentially straight or flat throughout its entire shuttle-engaging face so as to be able to contact the wall of shuttle 31 conformably throughout a greatly extended distance, the better to check it. This face may be surfaced with frictional material, such as leather 29, its ends receding out of the path of the shuttle and picker to permit the usual rivets holding the ends of the facing to be placed where their heads can never engage the shuttle. Because of its increased checking power, it can be faced with stainless steel instead.

A lever or arm 31 is pivoted by means of its bushed hub 33 upon an eccentric sleeve 35 fixed on the overhanging rear portion of box bottom 3 by means of a carriage bolt 37 and nut, the end of the passage through sleeve 35 being broached rectangularly to receive the corresponding squared portion of bolt 37 adjacent its head. Thus the eccentric sleeve 35 can be rotated by turning the bolt 37. This bolt also holds one end of the usual box back extension 39 which prevents upward escape of the shuttle from the box, the other end being attached by screw 41 to a rearwardly extending portion of box back 14.

The inward end of lever 31 extends past protector finger 11 and makes contact therewith through a leather pad 43 fixed thereon each time the shuttle enters this box, to work the protector mechanism in usual manner.

The manner of operation of the device is this: the shuttle brake 15 normally stands in oblique relation to the front wall 45 of the shuttle box, with its free end portion closer to the front wall 45 than the width of the shuttle. It is held in this position by engagement of an adjustable pressure-transmitting element 51 on lever 31 with the back face of this shuttle brake, the protector finger 11 and the usual binder spring 12 pressing yieldingly against the lever 31. The limit of movement of shuttle brake 15 frontwardly and thus inwardly into the shuttle box is established by a stop 53 on the hub of lever 31 which overlaps the end of shuttle brake 15.

The compound leverage thus achieved and used to force the frictional facing 39 of shuttle brake 15 against the shuttle to check its flight, is arranged to be varied as required to meet the conditions imposed by the variables of loom speed, shuttle weight, frictional character of shuttle and facing, and the like. For this purpose, the pressure-transmitting element 51 is made in the form of a round-head bolt fixed by its nut 52 and washer in a slot 55 extending for about half the length of lever 31, with its rounded head against the pad 59 of shuttle brake 15. Thus, by adjustment of bolt 51 along slot 55 the effective length of the load arm and hence the effective pressure of lever 31 against shuttle brake 15 created by the constant pressure of the binder spring 12, combined with that of the protector rockshaft spring and transmitted through protector finger 11 to the end of lever 31, can be varied to deliver the exact braking force on the shuttle required to control the latter with increased precision.

Shuttle brake 15 is preferably set so that its straight Working face will conform to and be in contact throughout its entire extent with the shuttle wall 30, for maximum braking effect. This adjustment is etfected by manipulating eccentric bushing 19. Adjustment of bushing 35 on which lever 31 is pivoted determines the obliquity of the shuttle brake in its waiting position and this slant is kept to a small angle of about 3 to 5 so that the least possible throw of the shuttle brake away from the shuttle will result as the shuttle enters the box. In this connection it is to be noted that there is no swell whatever on the shuttle brake, which would cause an abrupt camming action capable of carrying the shuttle brake out of contact with the shuttle wall following the impact. The lessened movement of the shuttle brake thus resulting is amplified by the compounding of the leverage through lever 31 and element 51 to gain the necessary displacement of protector finger 11.

To prevent up and down vibration of shuttle brake 15 and lever 31, shuttle brake 15 is of channel construction as shown in FIG. 5, the flanges of the channel in its rear face receiving between them a substantial portion of the thickness of lever 31 throughout the greater portion of the latters length. Vertical rocking of these two elements on their respective bushings is thus prevented. A pad 59 of leather is fixed within the channel to take the wear of bolt head 51 against the shuttle brake 15.

While I have illustrated and described a certain form in which the invention may be embodied, I am aware that many modifications may be made therein by any person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the particular form shown, or to the details of construction thereof, but

What I do claim is:

1. In a loom, in combination, a lay, a shuttle thereon, a protector motion finger, a shuttle box having a bottom and front and back walls, a binder pivoted on the back wall, and a lever pivotally mounted in connection with the lay and pressed against the binder by the protector finger, the lever having means for adjustably fixing its effective length and thus for adjusting the pressure delivered to the binder by such lever under an unvarying range of pressure of the protector finger.

2. In a loom, in combination, a lay, a shuttle thereon, a protector motion finger, a shuttle box having a bottom and front wall, a binder pivoted at the inward end of the box at the back thereof, a lever pivoted at the outward end of the box with its inward end engaged and pressed by the protector finger and having a longitudinal slot, and a bolt fixed in and adjustable along such slot with its end against the binder to apply the pressure derived by the lever from the protector finger to the binder.

3. In a loom, in combination, a lay, a shuttle thereon, a protector motion finger, a shuttle box having a bottom and front wall, and overlapping arms pivoted at their opposite ends at the back of the box, the protector finger pressing the rearward arm frontwardly and causing such arm to press the other arm against the shuttle, each arm limiting the frontward movement of the other arm into the box.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,315,608 Newton-Smith Sept. 9, l9l9 1,766,757 Lundgren June 24, 1930 2,594,170 Hoeber Apr. 22, 1952 2,898,946 Budzyna Aug. 11, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,717 Great Britain of 1900 108,709 Great Britain Aug. 14, 1917 

